Earlier Manifoil than Mark IV? And other questions.

[Bryan Underdown]

The main problem that I see is user error because people try to dial them like a mk4 , it is the same for the newer model that Chubb brought to superceed the mk4

[Sam Kremer]

The earliest patent I've found was from 1952. There was a US patent filed in 1953 too.

S

[wylk]

The earliest patent I've found was from 1952. There was a US patent filed in 1953 too.

Can you share the patent numbers?

[Sam Kremer]

The earliest is a Spanish patent - 205970.

The US patent is: 2,766,606. It's not the Manifoil in its final form though and reminds me more of the concept used in the S&G 8400 in the way the wheel is shielded to prevent manipulation. The spec also contains a good description of how manipulation works.

[wylk]

Sam, thanks for the patent numbers. Besides US 2,766,606, I managed to find the Spanish patent and others on the European patent web site (a translated abstract is at https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publ...05970A1&KC=A1# and the patent itself, in Spanish, at https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publ...&locale=en_EP#). The Spanish patent seems to be matched by ones in French (https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publ...1064536A&KC=A#) and German (https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publ...1004065B&KC=B#).

Another patent that looks like the Manifoil is Great Britain 761,432 (https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publ...&locale=en_EP#).

Finally (for now?) a later Canadian patent 549260 also looks like the Manifoil (https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publ...=549260A&KC=A#).

Some or all of these may not be for the Manifoil itself but the drawings resemble it.

[Gary Stephenson]

I have been told that there was a mk4A , because the Mk4 could be manipulated, they added hard eccentric rubber rollers on both the nose of the drop arm, and the anti noise? arms, has anyone ever seen this variant?